1394 Trade Association Hails Microsoft Corporation's Strong Support for IEEE 1394-Based Product Development.

OSAKA, Japan, and SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 12, 1999--

1999 WinHec Presentations Pledge "Easy PC,"

Focus on Consumer Computing

The 1394 Trade Association today hailed Microsoft Corporation's renewed commitment to the IEEE 1394 multimedia standard, citing the company's definitive statements at last week's Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHec) in Los Angeles.

Trade Association Chairman James Snider said Microsoft's commitment to 1394-based product development has never been stronger. He cited Microsoft President Steve Ballmer's keynote speech references to the importance of consumer computing and plans to use 1394 for fundamental PC expansion. In his WinHec kickoff April 7, Ballmer said more than 40 percent of all PCs sold in this U.S. this year will be sold into the consumer market segment, and pledged Microsoft will "improve the consumer computing experience." One key element in that program is the use of IEEE 1394 and Device Bay and the Universal Serial Bus for expansion of the basic PC.

Carl Stork, General Manager of the Windows Hardware Strategy and Evangelism group at Microsoft, also issued a strong endorsement of 1394 priot to WinHec.

"Microsoft has been a longstanding supporter of the performance and Plug and Play benefits 1394 can deliver for PC users," said Stork. "We were pleased to integrate support for the 1394 bus in Windows 98 last year, and are now looking forward to adding support for advanced 1394 applications, such as storage, printing, and digital video, in forthcoming releases of Windows 98 Second Edition and Windows 2000."

"Microsoft's timing is excellent, and their corporate commitment is very encouraging as we expand the performance of 1394 in all market segments," said Snider. "We are excited to see this renewed commitment to software driver and advanced peripherals development. The statements by Steve Ballmer and Carl Stork, along with the 1394 software development work now underway at Microsoft, provide another example of why all of our TA members are so optimistic about 1394 product introductions this year and into the year 2000."

At WinHec, the Trade Association's board predicted that 1999 will be the best year yet for 1394 product releases, with up to eight million personal computers and a broad range of consumer and computer peripherals due in the market by year's end.

Snider noted that a presentation from Robert Ingman, Microsoft Program Manager, USB and 1394, specifically mentioned support in Windows 2000 for SBP2, which is vital for mass storage, printers, and scanners, along with support for Device Bay and support for booting a PC from a 1394 HDD.

The 1394 Trade Association consists of 180 companies dedicated to the proliferation of the IEEE 1394 serial bus standard. For more information, please call the TA office at 408-982-8289 or visit the Trade Association web sites at www.1394ta.org or www.1394showcase.com